NE BUSINESS BUREAU
GANDHINAGAR, MARCH 4
With the world’s largest manufacturer and exporter of ceramic products China grabbling with coronavirus for over two months, importers from Europe, the US, far-eastern countries and Africa have started looking at Indian tile manufacturers, Morbi-based units which contribute 70% of the country’s ceramic production, to meet their demands. This has resulted in over 10% rise in exports from Morbi in the last two months and expected to go up further, say industry experts.
Due to coronavirus, most of the ceramic factories in China have been shut and many Chinese ceramic makers slowed down production in wake of Lunar New Year holidays from mid-January. These holidays were extended due to the outbreak of coronavirus.
If the coronavirus effect remains for longer period of time, definitely Indian ceramic exporters would be able to export their products in some of the markets where Indian ceramics are exported negligibly, said Jetpariya, adding that at the same time, Indian ceramic units may face shortage of important chemicals which are being imported from China.
Though the outbreak of coronavirus in China may have negatively impacted many sectors in the country, it is a blessing in disguise for the India’s ceramic industry, especially Morbi-based ceramic cluster situated in Gujarat, to make the most of it to capture the Chinese markets.
China is the biggest exporter of ceramic products, especially vitrified floor tiles in Europe, the US, far-eastern countries and Africa. According to tiles makers in Gujarat, as supply from neighbouring country has stopped, China-dominated markets are now looking at Indian tile manufacturers.
Speaking to navjeevanexpress.com on Tuesday, Group Project Director of Messe Muenchen India Private Limited Tarun Marwah said, “Morbi ceramic industries have already reported over 10% increase in exports in the last two months. Some of the tile makers had already started exporting to Europe and African countries. Since most of these units are having inventories for over six months as of now they don’t face any problem sustaining the exports. However, instead of cashing on short-term benefits these units should strive hard to step into Chinese shoes by ramping up capacity under ‘Make in India’ as a long-term measure.”
This was echoed by Igor Palka, Projektleiter, Exhibition Director, Messe Muenchen from Germany.
Trade Commissioner of Italian Trade Agency Dr Alessandro Liberatori, who was present at Italiya, the Italian pavilion at the Indian Ceramics Asia 2020, said, “For the 11 months of 2019, India’s total imports of ceramics posted a decreads of 9.98% as compared to the same period of 2018, with ital as its prominent supplier ranking second and having a share of almost 22% of India’s imports and registering a increase of 46.76% as compared to first 11 months of 2018.”
Approximately 1,000 ceramic units are functioning in Morbi cluster and provide employment to more than four lakh people. Against the annual turnover of Rs 45,000 crore, exports from Morbi cluster is nearly Rs 12,000 crore. By the end of 2019 the cluster witnessed more than 55,000 cubic meter production of tiles per day.
Though ceramic products are exported to over 170 countries, around 40% is exported to Gulf countries only. In the current scenario, Morbi based exporters are looking at unexplored market where predominantly China has lion’s share.
Indian Ceramics Asia opens many vistas for all stakeholders
This edition showcases the latest innovations in the ceramic and brick industry along with a series of workshops that will give valuable insights on the industry. This year, Indian Ceramics Asia is conducting workshops such as Promoting Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy in Selected MSME Clusters in India and NextGen Brick Enterprise.
These workshops are designed to address niche market and cover relevant topics that are currently influencing the industry. The trade show will showcase more 100+ solution providers from the ceramic industry to 8000+ visitors.
This edition isl also hosting a Ceramics Job Fair, a dedicated platform for ceramic and brick industry professionals to meet top recruiters and find a strong footing in the market. Like always, the 15th edition also hosting the distinguished supporting programme – The Buyer-Seller Forum. The forum is dedicated to connecting buyers with suitable sellers through pre-scheduled meetings. The forum gives a lucrative opportunity for buyers to access numerous sellers and their products and services under one roof.
